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Saturday, August 15, 2015

Do I Write Christian Stories? (J. Grace Pennington)

Have you heard that joke
about Christian fiction? You know, the
one that goes “I tried to baptize my book, but the pages got all wet.”

What makes fiction “Christian”
anyhow? After all, books can’t be
Christians. People can be
Christians. So are we talking about
books that mention Jesus? If so, that
includes a lot of stories that use the name only as a swear word. So, books that feature Christianity in a
positive light? That could include books
that have lovable Christian characters and terrible overall morals. How about stories that have an overall
biblical message? But then, that could
include books that have no mention of God or Christ whatsoever.

It’s a more vague term than
you might think.

That’s why I don’t especially
like to call my writing “Christian.” I
hope it always points to Christ. I hope
it always promotes godly values. I hope
it always comes out of a biblical worldview.
But that looks different for every story. My Firmament series is more what I’d
label “explicitly” or “overtly” Christian.
The main characters pray. They
think about the presence of God in their lives.
They try to live by His word. It’s
very much on the surface. Never
is a bit more subdued. The characters
have been to church in their pasts, and thoughts about God come close to the
surface a few times. One of the brothers
even prays at one point. But it’s not
quite so plain and simple.

Then there’s the book I’m
releasing today, Implant. It
doesn’t contain a single prayer, Bible verse, or reference to God. The main character is not a Christian, and is
foolish, angry, and impetuous. Another
character smokes constantly and drinks often.
The morality is complex and actions desperate. Why would a Christian author write such a book?

The same reason a Christian
finds value in hearing stories about non-Christians who have done great and
good things, made hard choices, changed the world for the better. Christians don’t, in fact, have a monopoly on
truth. God does. And sometimes God reveals His truth and gives
His grace to those who don’t believe in or serve Him. He causes His rain to fall upon the just and
the unjust. And every person on the face
of the earth is made in His image. Which
means every person’s story is valuable.

Why should fiction be
different?

The characters don’t have to
be Christians or be perfect for us to marvel at their gifts and be inspired by
their actions. To me, the important
thing is that the core of the story is true and good and right.

So do I write Christian
fiction? No. I write true fiction. The people may not be real, but the
underlying truths, to the best of my ability, are. And in the end, all truth points us back to
the Author of truth.

J. Grace Pennington has been reading stories as long as she can remember, and writing them almost as long. She is also a prolific medical transcriptionist, amateur musician, chocolate eater, daughter, sister, friend, and laundry folder. She lives in Texas, and if she was part of the Implant society, her role in the rebellion would probably be monitoring current events and correspondence in the computer center.
Check her out on Facebook, Twitter, and at her blog! Also, check out her exciting new book Implant!